Schalke will look to go above Bayer Leverkusen and into third place with a victory at Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Friday night. The game can be watched via live streaming online.

Schalke will look to go above Bayer Leverkusen and into third place with a victory at Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Friday night.

Jens Keller's men have pretty much been knocked out of the Champions League, after the first leg thumping handed out by Real Madrid, but they can ensure automatic qualification to Europe's premier competition for next season if they finish in the top three.

With Bayer Leverkusen playing the unstoppable Bayern Munich on Saturday, Schalke will know a victory against Augsburg is likely to keep them in third for at least one week.

"We've had two tough draws there [at Augsburg] in the last two years, and narrowly beat them 1-0 in the Cup in 2010," Schalke general manager Horst Heldt told the club's official website. "If we manage to harness the stability from the Hoffenheim game, we can continue our strong away form.

"It's an important match for us because we want to keep a serious competitor at arm's length. We've got to give it our all and take home all three points. On the other hand, Augsburg know they can get up to three points closer to us, so they'll be pushing for a win too."

Augsburg have had a pretty good season so far - picking up 38 points from 24 games and as good as ensuring they will not be worrying about relegation for the rest of the season.

Sitting in sixth place at the moment, Augsburg can cut the gap to Schalke to just three points with a victory at home against their more illustrious opponents.

"Augsburg's players have improved and are performing beyond what anyone expected of them," Heldt added. "Before the season began, many people predicted that Augsburg would sink to the bottom of the table again.

"It's a great success story made possible by a whole range of people -- particularly the management but the team too, who have become a slick machine. It helped the team that nobody expected them to do anything more than avoid relegation.

"Positive results have enabled them to find their rhythm, and they're keen to keep that going. Every player has found his place in that team, they're all working towards the same goal and none of them thinks he's better than anyone else.

"Everything has clicked into place for Augsburg at the moment, and that ultimately leads to the success they're enjoying. You've got to admire what they've achieved so far this season."

Team news: Augsburg: Marwin Hitz and Sascha Molders are closing in on a return from injury, but coach Markus Weinzierl is unlikely to risk the duo against Schalke. "Marwin's been out for five weeks and he needs time, like Sascha does," Weinzierl said.